Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 11, 2026
Analysis of Transforming Growth Factor ß Family Cleavage Products Secreted Into the Blastocoele of Xenopus laevis Embryos
Published on: July 21, 2021
Protease activity of Blastocystis hominis
Selena W S Sio1, Manoj K Puthia, Alex S Y Lee
1Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Parasitology, Department of Microbiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 5 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117597, Singapore.
Abstract:
Parasite-derived proteases are important for the parasite life cycle and the pathogenesis of the disease they produce. Proteases of intestinal protozoan parasite Blastocystis hominis were studied for the first time with azocasein assays and gelatin SDS-PAGE analysis. Parasitic lysates were found to have high protease activity and nine protease bands of low (20-33 kDa) and high (44-75 kDa) molecular weights were reported. Proteases were found to be pH-dependent and highest proteolytic activity was observed at neutral pH. Inhibition studies showed that B. hominis isolate B, like many other protozoan parasites, contains mainly cysteine proteases.
